Harriet A. Foundas, died October 9, 2023 in Tampa. She was born in New York City one day after D-Day, June 7, 1944, the only child of Faye and Morton Aronson. From an early age, she was drawn to singing, appearing as a contestant on TV’s “The Original Amateur Hour” (the “American Idol” of its day) and recording a couple of singles for Goldisc Records under the band name Jacqueline and the Jills. And, though she would ultimately abandon showbiz, it never took much prompting to get her to break into song.
But Harriet’s true passion turned out to be education. A graduate of both the University of Tampa and USF, she began as a classroom teacher with the Hillsborough County Public Schools in 1966 and went on to spend most of her career as an administrator. Thirty-two of those years were spent as principal of a single school, West Shore Elementary in Port Tampa, where she saw multiple generations of the same families pass through its classrooms and became a revered figure in the local community. "The thing that strikes me the most about her is what a motivator she is," one West Shore parent noted in a 2006 Tampa Bay Times profile. "She motivates people who don't even know they have it in them to reach a little further." Upon her retirement in 2008, the school’s library was renamed the Harriet Foundas Media Center in her honor.
Even in retirement, Harriet could not keep herself away from the classroom, returning to teach in the education department of her alma mater, the University of Tampa, where she also joined the board of The Chiselers, the non-profit dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the campus’ historic H.B. Plant Hall.
Outside of work, she enjoyed traveling to film festivals, attending concerts (Bette Midler and Dolly Parton were particular faves) and Broadway shows, making improvements to her Palma Ceia home and caring for her beloved Yorkie, Dolly.
In 1971, she married Themestocles “Tom” Foundas, and though they would later divorce, they remained close friends until Tom’s death in 2008.
Harriet is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Scott Foundas and Helen Huang, of Los Angeles.
A celebration of Harriet’s life will be held on Wednesday, October 18 at 2 PM at Blount & Curry Funeral Home at 605 S MacDill Ave, Tampa, FL 33609. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/) or The Chiselers (https://thechiselersinc.com/).
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